MMM Do not realy care... I'm happy with my current set-up,
Apart from that could also boil up loads of "What If's" , but i do not think Nikon would switch to Pro-DX without introducing some Pro-DX lenses then..

Here's another "what if"..
What if Nikon continues with the "1" line by adding a "1-DX" , and/or a "1-FX" camera ( possibly rangefinders, competing with Leica..) ??

It will not happen, because Nikon's primary market seems stiil to be the Asian Market , and the Asian's seem to prefer "Small, Light, and packed with power" ....

To DutchNikon: I certainly agree on the Asian preference for "small, light, and packed with power". What this October's announcements will be is I also believe very eagerly awaited. The D800 though will be pretty big. A D400 type camera will hopefully be somewhat more trim.

My guess is that there will be D800s working at the upcoming Olympics along with the D4. In fact the D4s are going to be coming in awfully late for even the most pro users to ramp up to using them. The Husband and Wife team that ran media for the 1980 winter games themselves are still using D700s. I do think the D800 will be a great camera for pro media use with a better video mode and great stills for both low light and high ISO. I am waffling on getting a D7000 body or just waiting to see what the D800 will be. Yet that small, light, and packed with power goal is one I totally relate to!!

D7000 is a lot of camera. But my hands are TOO BIG. Almost didn't get the D300s and jumped into dogfood and day old bagles and got the D3x. Brighter viewfinder, a real handful. Was traumatized by the price of the D300s even though the last body I had gotten was an F3(no high eye-point shoulda waited but who knew). $1K - $1.5K is likely still a sticking point for a lot of people even for the privilege of owning Nikon glass. I insist on a metal body at that price or above, I don't care if it is lighter, if it is 8 degrees outside and I drop it (heaven forbid) it better not damn well shatter like that last beer mug. NikoDoby, you've scared me a little. Just because the world is downsizing I don't want Nikon to compromise on a tool I use to regain my sanity after a hard work week at the college. I'd actually like to see a D800 with a viewfinder as bright and big as that D3x!

I am amazed by the sensors and software technology in the D3100, D5100 and D7000. I am also amazed by the technical quality of Nikon's cheap plastic non-Japanese built DX lenses such as the 18-55mm VR, 40mm Macro and 18-200mm VR. If the D300s replacements sensor and software technology can "take it up a few notches" to give us 24 megapixels for increased sharpness and a stop or two improvement in low light Image Quality then I think a slightly downsized D3 type body would make excellent sense.

Nikon should also design some DX f2.8 (or f4) "pro" lenses to match such as a mid-range zoom and a 70-210 zoom. "Pros" will not wanted to be limited to f3.5-5.6 zooms. Basically, Nikon could produce a professional system which weighs less and costs less than the current FX based system. In the "olden" days metal camera's would easily last more than 10 years. But today digital technology changes so fast that if a camera body is 10 years old you shouldn't be shooting with it anymore because much cheaper "plastic" equipment produces much better Image Quality. For example, a $700 D3100 produces better Image Quality than a $5,000 ten year old D1H.

I suggest a name for this new line of Nikons: Pro Lite
So we would have Nikon Consumer point and shoot cameras, Nikon Semi-Pro or Advanced Amateur, Nikon Pro-Lite and Nikon Pro lines. The replacement for the D700 could be a plastic body in the Nikon Semi-Pro or Advanced Amateur line and the replacement for the Nikon D300s could be in the new Nikon Pro-Lite line.